Strontium-doped polyphosphate coacervates to aid reparative dentinogenesis in direct pulp capping

龋齿是一个主要的公共卫生问题，据世界卫生组织报道，龋齿是世界上最常见的健康状况。当延伸超过牙齿的矿化保护组织（即釉质和牙本质）时，它通过影响牙髓而引起疼痛和不适，牙髓是最柔软的组织，其具有沿着的神经和血管，具有防御和修复功能，从而赋予牙齿活力。根管治疗是根管治疗的一个重要步骤。然而，一种不同的，成本更低，更保守的方法，旨在保护这一组织和保存其活力的概念下，直接盖髓，简单地说，在暴露的牙髓上应用兼容的材料。尽管在过去的二十年中，牙科材料领域取得了许多进步，但目前还没有一种理想的材料用于该手术，掺锶聚磷酸盐凝聚层构成了一种有前途的-合成极其简单-但尚未开发的生物材料。该项目旨在合成和表征这种材料，并进一步评估对其的生物反应，可能将其转化为常见的牙科手术。

Dental caries is a major public health problem and reportedly the most common health condition worldwide according to the WHO. When extended past the mineralised protective tissues of the tooth (i.e. enamel and dentine), it causes pain and discomfort by affecting the pulp, which is the soft innermost tissue that harbours nerves and blood vessels along with defensive and reparative functions giving the tooth its vitality. When dental pulp becomes exposed by caries in adult dentition, root canal treatment is frequently indicated. However, a different, less costly and moreconservative approach aimed at protecting this tissue and conserving its vitality is available under the concept of direct pulp capping which briefly consists in applying a compatible material upon the exposed dental pulp. Although many advancements in the field of dental materials have beenachieved during the past two decades, an ideal material for this procedure is not currently available and strontium-doped polyphosphate coacervates constitute a promising - and extremely simple to synthetize - yet unexplored biomaterial for this purpose. The project is aimed at synthesizing and characterising this material and further evaluating the biological response towards it, potentially serving a translational purpose into common dental procedures.